A Plant and Wine Bar Meant to Feel Like an Exhale is Coming to North Loop

Flourish Plant Shop & Wine Bar opens Friday, October 24 at 5003 Airport Boulevard, bringing a hybrid wine bar and plant shop to the North Loop neighborhood. The shop comes from longtime friends Rachel Roberts and Dale Ellington.

A lifelong Austinite, Roberts first launched Flourish as a small plant shop on North Loop Boulevard, providing a green thumb for homes, restaurants, and other businesses around town. The new location expands that vision into hospitality, drawing from her experience at Fonda San Miguel and Tacodeli, with the help of Ellington, who brings 13 years of wine expertise into the fold, including time at The Library Wine Bar in Houston.

Guests can expect a mix of wines by the glass or bottle, alongside light bites and a retail shop. The wine list highlights classic regions like France, Italy, and Spain, as well as vinos from emerging producers in South Africa, Texas, and women-led wineries. According to a press release, Ellington’s philosophy leans toward the “approachable, joyful, and unpretentious.”

The food menu is set to include shareable meat and cheese boards, preserved seafood, and snacks like Castelvetrano olives, Marcona almonds, and housemade potato chips — things meant to pair seamlessly with wine.

Flourish opens Friday, October 24, with an all-day celebration from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. featuring a lineup of events: a ribbon cutting at 11 a.m., a local artists pop-up market from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., grand opening happy hour from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., and a party from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

The wine bars regular will be Sunday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Flourish will also feature something called a “Cool Kids Membership,” which includes members-only happy hours, discounts on plants and wine, and seasonal events throughout the year.

In a press release Ellington said he and Roberts wanted to create Flourish as “a place that felt like an exhale,” where “people could be surrounded by natural beauty, drink incredible wines, and actually relax — a plant and wine spa, if you will.”